Tuesday June 28

We woke up at a normal time and had breakfast in the conservatory, which is a glassed in type of sunroom. I stayed in the pub to write since the Internet connection was better than in the room. Dave mucked about and looked at maps, planning our day. By 10 am we were on our way to our first stop which was Bampton. This is the small village where part of Downton Abbey was filmed. For anyone who has watched the show, you'll understand what comes next.

Bampton is a very old village where all the houses are made of limestone - which the Cotswold district is know for. (The Cotswolds is 100 mile stretch that was once very wealthy due to sheep's wool. It was settled in the 1100s.) Trying to find the "Cottage Hospital" was our first task. It's really a tiny library. Beside it was Mrs. Crawley's house which is surrounded by a 7 foot stone wall so we couldn't see anything below that. Beside that was the church were many scenes took place. It looked exactly as it did in the show. St. Mary's (the church) has been there since the Norman conquest in the 1050s. We walked through the church picturing the weddings that took place and walked through the graveyard. It was great being able to see these places. The door that Mary came through when she was married to Matthew is actually covered up inside the church but visible from the outside. We also saw the pub and post office from the show. Surprisingly, the town wasn't swamped with tourists.  One bus was there while we were but that was it for the day. We were told that when the filming crew was there, it didn't disrupt the village at all. So glad we saw this!

Next we were off to Blenheim Palace - a place the travel guru, Rick Steves, highly recommends. I have to talk about driving here. Almost all of our driving today was on two lane (and I use that term very loosely) roads in the country. At times the lanes are 6' 6" wide. There aren't any shoulders, just 5 inches or so of dirt and then "walls" of plants. The grass etc. on the sides of the roads don't get cut so it's like driving through a tunnel since the grass is 6' or so high. Very winding roads with lots of ups and downs make it a bit like a race course. I'm often startled when a car comes flying around the corner (speed limit is 50 miles/hr) and it looks like it's going to hit us. Dave's doing really well. He does have to really concentrate at times. Grass gets caught in the side mirror on my side and I can hear the grass bushing against the door. Dave hasn't had a chance to use all six gears yet. Okay by me.

Blenheim Palace was built between 1705 and 1728. It's massive and opulent. Winston Churchill is related to the first Duke of Marlborough who was given the land, and the money to build the palace, by Queen Anne for the great job he did winning a battle. Part of the tour was all about Churchhill. We saw the room he was born in. The current Duke (the 12th) still lives there with his wife and 3 kids. They have a staff of 11 people to look after them. They also have a place in Oxford and in an another spot close by. No matter where they're living, all of their meals are made at the palace and their laundry is done there as well. The life of the super rich!

There's a wonderful courtyard. Elton John did a concert there two days earlier. The folks who own the place need a lot of income to keep the place going. Concerts, admission to the palace etc, really help I'm sure. Dave and I have a yearlong membership. You can change a day pass into a one year pass without any additional cost. We thought we might go back tomorrow so see the servants quarters, kitchens etc. The tour was full for today.

Part of the tour was this really cheesy "Disney like" presentation. Once it's started you're stuck until it's over. 35 minutes. As we left the castle is was raining a bit. The first rain since we arrived. The weather has been great. A bit on the cool side today. Needed to wear a coat.

We set off for our lodging for the night - The Bell built in 1600. It's a pub that has a few rooms. Our room was huge and pretty fancy. Much more than we needed but booking online you're not always sure what you'll get. Supper was fish and chips - super good.

One thing I learned today: Winston Church was born 2 months premature and was delivered in a coat room at Blenheim Palace.

One new thing I experienced today: Running over a dead animal on the side of the road (no, on the road as there is no "side of the road") while whipping around a corner with a car coming at us from the other direction. My heart was really thumping. Dave just laughed.

Most powerful moment of the day: Eating in the pub that was orginally a cottage over 400 years ago. It looks "just like" it did then. I love history!

One pleasureable experience: At the palace I bought a book on the history of tea. I love tea and feel so much more at home here in regards to this. Every hotel room has a kettle and tea (and instant coffee). It's assumed that people want tea here. At home, it's assumed people want coffee. I often feel left out/the odd person since I don't drink coffee at home. Here I'm one of the "regular" people. :)